NHPD union president to resign

New Haven police union president Arpad Tolnay is stepping down amid an investigation of allegations that he abused union finances.

The Elm City’s police officers voted unanimously to call on Tolnay to resign as union president at a Wednesday evening meeting, raising concerns about his use of a union credit card and accessibility to the rank and file, the New Haven Register reported. But Tolnay told the Register on Thursday that he had already planned to step down from the position, just over a year after taking over from longtime union president Louis Cavaliere.

“They’re not going to force me to step down sooner than I want. They can make all the motions that they want,” Tolnay told the Register. “I made my decision months ago about stepping down.”

Tolnay’s exit from the union’s top spot comes amid rumors that he used the union credit card for between $2,000 and $5,000 of personal charges, an issue that State’s Attorney Michael Dearington said his office was looking into, the Register reported.

Tolnay said he had used the union credit card only after making an arrangement with the union’s treasurer to use the card in lieu of his own, which had been canceled after his personal account was hijacked, the Register reported.

If Tolnay steps down, the union’s executive board must choose a new president from within its six-person membership. The two most mentioned successors to Tolnay are Sgt. Richard Miller and officer Louis Cavaliere Jr., son of the former union president.